Project on Middle East Democracy

On Monday, April 19, 2010, POMED hosted a panel discussion entitled, “FY2011 Appropriations and the Middle East.” Click here for more details.

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Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan at POMED-sponsored conference in Amman.
Dr. Michele Dunne and Dr. Tarik Yousef discuss US- Libya relations and prospects for reform at a POMED panel.

The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to examining how genuine democracies can develop in the Middle East and how the United States can best support that process.  Through dialogue, research, and advocacy, we work to strengthen the constituency for U.S. policies that peacefully support democratic reform in the Middle East.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, there has been a growing recognition that democratic reform in the Middle East should be viewed not merely as a valuable goal, in keeping with American values and human rights, but also as a strategic priority. U.S. interests are best served by a strong relationship with the people of the Middle East, and that requires a basic recognition of their legitimate aspirations for democratic rights.

Today, the challenge of encouraging more open, democratic, and law-based societies in the Middle East remains as pressing as ever. There is a compelling need to rigorously examine America’s actual and potential impact on political reform in the region; to foster constructive dialogue among academics and activists, policymakers and practitioners, Americans and Middle Easterners; to identify clearly the parameters of legitimate, constructive democracy support in the Middle East; and to empower the coalition of actors supporting policies consistent with those principles.

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